Tuesday, December 30, 2008

blessings in the chaos

Jordan and I went to see his family this past weekend, and his mom and I got to spend some time alone together. As I sat there filling her in on the ups and downs of the past month, she looked at me with wisdom (and pity?) in her eyes: “Annie, it’s okay to be stressed. You moved, got engaged, started a new job, navigated a long-distance relationship, planned a wedding, and got married all in the same year. Those are major life changes, and you experienced them all in a matter of months. It’s easy to understand why you’d be overwhelmed.” It was all I could do not to look at that woman and cry.

She’s right. Life has been stressful. Marriage is oh-so-grand, but Jordan and I are different from a lot of married couples we know. He’s in school, and I happen to be bringing home the bacon. And let’s just say… It’s not great bacon. I’m a journalism major, remember? On top of all the typical stresses married life brings, we’ve got finances to work through and budget together. The point is, 2008 has been a roller coaster, so full of these major changes, and yet… God has sent some incredible blessings my way. Blessings I hope I haven't ignored in the chaos.

So, 2008, I’d hate to wish these last two days of you away. Instead, I’d like to take some time to thank you for the goodness you’ve brought to my life. I want to relish these last two days of you as best I can. I don't want a moment to go by that I'm not grateful for the ways my Creator has moved in my life this year. I want to say thank you.

Thank you, 2008, for:

- Bringing me and Jordan together after three years of dating/courting, and after one year of long-distance

- Granting me a period of independence that I needed

- Finding us a place to call our own at Timberlane

- Allowing me to use my gifts in a variety of ways

- Blessing me with a job in this up-and-down economy

- Giving me a new appreciation for my family and the way I was raised

- Helping me use this blog as an outlet for my writing

- Showing me how God is moving in my life

- Furnishing us with the cutest apartment you ever did see

- Building my confidence and my leadership capabilities

- Encouraging me to make new friends and then providing me with those friends

- Reconnecting me with dear, old friends

- Making me see life as an adventure to be had

- Inspiring me to see 2009 as a blank slate

Thank you, 2008, for teaching me to give in to things that are bigger than me, that are beyond my comprehension.

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"What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it will be like, but surprises are good for you. And don’t be frightened: You can always change your mind."